Tom's Hardware > Forum > Graphic & Displays > Graphics Cards > Upgrade: 2 x 8800GTX or 1 GTX 280

Upgrade: 2 x 8800GTX or 1 GTX 280

Forum Graphic & Displays : Graphics Cards - Upgrade: 2 x 8800GTX or 1 GTX 280

Tom's Hardware: Over 1.4 million members in 6 different countries available to answer all your high-tech questions. Sign up now! Its free!
Ask the community Add a reply
Word :    Username :           
 
strider4200   09-01-2008 at 10:40:16 PM

Unfortunately I just built a new rig in feburary with a evga 680i mobo and an evga 8800gtx ko. So, I'm stuck in pci e 1.1 land. I can't find an 8800 gtx ko for less than $450, and I think that possibly the 280 might be less than that now. Any ideas how I can get the best performance for my money without ripping out my mobo 6 months after installing it? Is it worth it to go two gtx's, or would the one 280 outperform them, despite the 1.1 pci bottleneck? Thanks a lot for any help in advance.

intel E6850 at stock 3.0 gi
2 gig ddr2 ram at 800
Vista premium 64 bit (i know i should get more ram)

Add a reply
Sponsored Links
Register or log in to remove.
ovaltineplease   09-01-2008 at 10:50:39 PM
- -1 +

Go with the gtx280, and FYI 1.1 pci-e isn't going to "bottleneck" that card.

Reply to ovaltineplease
Maziar   09-01-2008 at 11:06:00 PM
- 0 +

What resolution do u play at ?In some games that benefit from SLI,2x8800GTX beat GTX 280 in almost every game,but my vote goes for
1 GTX 280 for 3 reasons:

1_SLI doesnt always work well.
2_The price that u said is too much
3_They will be more noisier and consume more power than GTX 280.

------------------------------ Q6600@3.4+ TT V1 Cooler,SAPPHIRE HD 4870X2,ASUS MAXIMUS FORMULA,4GB OCZ DDR2 800,LG W2452V 1920x1200
 Reply to Maziar
invisik   09-02-2008 at 12:10:25 AM
- 0 +

u can underclock this card to gtx level performance. =]
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applica [...] 4&CatId=28

Message quoted 1 times
------------------------------ intel core 2 quad q6600 @3.2ghz msi p6n diamond (X-FI Extreme sound) 6gig of OCZ+CoRSAIR oc 900mhz Nvidia gtx 260 sli @ 730/1465/1250
Lite-On Blue-ray Western Digital 7200rpm 500gb Antec 500 Earthwatt Window vista 64-bit
Reply to invisik
Nik_I   09-02-2008 at 12:23:28 AM
- 0 +

invisik wrote :

u can underclock this card to gtx level performance. =]
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applica [...] 4&CatId=28



i'm not sure it works like that...

Reply to Nik_I
invisik   09-02-2008 at 12:40:31 AM
- 0 +

im pretty sure if u match the clocks it would be fine.
the ultra is a gtx on steroids.


Message edited by invisik on 09-02-2008 at 01:31:47 AM
------------------------------ intel core 2 quad q6600 @3.2ghz msi p6n diamond (X-FI Extreme sound) 6gig of OCZ+CoRSAIR oc 900mhz Nvidia gtx 260 sli @ 730/1465/1250
Lite-On Blue-ray Western Digital 7200rpm 500gb Antec 500 Earthwatt Window vista 64-bit
Reply to invisik
thogrom   09-02-2008 at 12:50:06 AM
- 0 +

i like invisiks idea...

thats an amazng price for an 8800 gtx/ ultra....

the 8800 gtx / ultra is about equal to if not better then the 9800 gtx which also shares the 200 $ price point

but the 4850 is better then the 9800 gtx and is about 160 now....

Reply to thogrom
geofelt   09-02-2008 at 01:01:09 AM
- 0 +

If the 8800gtx ko is in such demand, sell it, and replace it with a gtx280, or 4870X2.

------------------------------ I7 920@3.3
TRUE w/1366 kit
6GB patriotDDR3 1600
Asus P6T Deluxe
Reply to geofelt
strider4200   09-02-2008 at 01:07:48 AM
- 0 +

Thanks for the tips. I play mostly in 16X12, unless in a game like crysis, where I take a hit on resolution for some of the bells and whistles. My only concern is the PCI e 2.0 vs. the 1.1 on the 680i. Is the 280 GTX running on 1.1 going to be bottlenecked in the future, when even more graphically intensive games come out? I build a new rig every 2-3 years, so this next intermittent, annoying as hell graphics upgrade decision has to last me a while.

Message quoted 2 times
Reply to strider4200
geofelt   09-02-2008 at 01:15:48 AM
- 1 +

pci-e 1.1 vs 2.0 makes negligible difference today, even with the strongest cards. When the time comes that you can get a video card that is 3x stronger than today's best, you will probably be upgrading the mobo anyway.

------------------------------ I7 920@3.3
TRUE w/1366 kit
6GB patriotDDR3 1600
Asus P6T Deluxe
Reply to geofelt
ovaltineplease   09-02-2008 at 01:16:13 AM
- -1 +

No, it won't be bottlenecked

The only time you might see a bottleneck would be in SLI on 1.1 pcie; but otherwise for 1 card it is highly unlikely to make a difference.

Reply to ovaltineplease
dagger   09-02-2008 at 02:23:29 AM
- 0 +

strider4200 wrote :

Thanks for the tips. I play mostly in 16X12, unless in a game like crysis, where I take a hit on resolution for some of the bells and whistles. My only concern is the PCI e 2.0 vs. the 1.1 on the 680i. Is the 280 GTX running on 1.1 going to be bottlenecked in the future, when even more graphically intensive games come out? I build a new rig every 2-3 years, so this next intermittent, annoying as hell graphics upgrade decision has to last me a while.



It's unlikely pcie1.1 will bottleneck gtx280. Even though gtx280 isn't usually coupled with a old pcie1.1 board, you can still deduce it indirectly. A 9800gx2 is old enough to be often coupled with old pcie1.1, and it didn't bottleneck. 9800gx2 outperforms gtx280 across the board. So why should the lower performing card bottleneck while the higher one does not? :p

------------------------------ Q6600@3.6ghz, GA-EX38-DS4 motherboard, 8gb 800mhz ddr2 4-3-3-12, 8800GTS(g92)@780mhz, 1TB + 1.5TB hdds, 850watt psu
 Reply to dagger
jaydeejohn   09-02-2008 at 03:59:23 AM
- 0 +

dagger knows the 9800x2. And it only makes sense. Doesnt a GTX sli setup rule? And at higher res too?

------------------------------ I went drifting, thru the capitols of tin, where men cant walk and cant freely talk, and sons turn their fathers in
 Reply to jaydeejohn
Soldier37   09-02-2008 at 04:24:35 AM
- 0 +

Always go with the newest technology and best single card you can afford is my rule. Im going with a gtx 280 very soon myself. Upgrading from my first gen 8800 GTS 640mb.

------------------------------ Phen 2 955 @ 4 GHZ MSI 790FX AM3 Gskill 8Gb DDR3 1333 ATI 5870 1 Gb 2 x Velociraptors 600Gb Gateway 24" 1920 x 1200 DVI 32 GB Iphone 3GS and Blu Ray...life is good!
 Reply to Soldier37
invisik   09-02-2008 at 04:39:30 AM
- 0 +

strider4200 wrote :

Thanks for the tips. I play mostly in 16X12, unless in a game like crysis, where I take a hit on resolution for some of the bells and whistles. My only concern is the PCI e 2.0 vs. the 1.1 on the 680i. Is the 280 GTX running on 1.1 going to be bottlenecked in the future, when even more graphically intensive games come out? I build a new rig every 2-3 years, so this next intermittent, annoying as hell graphics upgrade decision has to last me a while.




pcie1.1 wont bottleneck a gtx280 or any card out right now. as long as the slot runs at full x16 speed.
how would a gtx280 on a pcie1.1 be a bottleneck in the future? the card has a max amount of bandwidth future games wont change the hardware so i dont see how bandwidth can increase. ex crysis pushes the card to its limit not sure how much more u can push it. =]

------------------------------ intel core 2 quad q6600 @3.2ghz msi p6n diamond (X-FI Extreme sound) 6gig of OCZ+CoRSAIR oc 900mhz Nvidia gtx 260 sli @ 730/1465/1250
Lite-On Blue-ray Western Digital 7200rpm 500gb Antec 500 Earthwatt Window vista 64-bit
Reply to invisik
rammar16   09-02-2008 at 05:03:30 AM
- 0 +

OK so first i must note the big error in your first comment that PCI 1.1 as many have said as of right now does not bottleneck any card. in fact it is more important if your motherboard is dual X16 or dual X8 as that is where bottle necking actually starts.

with that out of the way let move on....

so i will give a couple of suggestions with reasons. first, if you don't have to upgrade right now i would wait for one more generation of hardware and get the top of the line for that to replace your 8800GTX instead

if you can't wait and can't find the card(maybe look on eBay) then i would recommend either the 4870X2 or GTX280 i know you have an SLI board but a 4870X2 does beat out a GTX280 in a lot of benchies.

if you can find the card for 300 or less you will probably get more performance out of 2 8800GTXs then 1 GTX280. however, they will take more power and generate more heat.

my overall recommendation would have to be the the GTX280. and don't worry about a bottleneck.

Reply to rammar16
dagger   09-03-2008 at 01:45:38 AM
- 0 +

There may be a problem if you add a second gtx280 in the future though. Sli/cf use much more bandwidth than single card since the two cards communicates through the pcie bus (and not so much the bridge, as most people believe).

------------------------------ Q6600@3.6ghz, GA-EX38-DS4 motherboard, 8gb 800mhz ddr2 4-3-3-12, 8800GTS(g92)@780mhz, 1TB + 1.5TB hdds, 850watt psu
 Reply to dagger
Anth12   09-03-2008 at 06:33:15 AM
- 0 +

I just got another superclocked one for about 120$ on ebay and I can tell you I am extremely happy with it. Im going to wait another generation before I do a complete overhaul in the graphics department need a new mobo too as mines not pci 2.0 so i figure the new i7 is as good a time as any to get a new mobo.

Reply to Anth12
Ask the community Add a reply
Tom's Hardware > Forum > Graphic & Displays > Graphics Cards > Upgrade: 2 x 8800GTX or 1 GTX 280
Go to:

There are 809 identified and unidentified users. To see the list of identified users, Click here.

Forum map
Bestofmedia Forum ©
2000-2009 Bestofmedia Group
Page generated in 0.339 seconds
Please mind

You are about to answer a thread that has been inactive for more than 6 months.
If you still wish to proceed, please ensure that your posting is original and does not duplicate or overlap any prior responses to this thread.

Add a reply Cancel
Sponsored links
  • Ask the community now
  • Publish
Ad
Related Topics
See all relatives topics
They won a badge
Join us in greeting them
How do I win badges?